by Kylie Kent
I look over at Bray, noticing him deep in thought. “You good man?” I ask.
“Yeah,” shaking his head, he then says, “I don’t know. How can you have one of the best experiences of your life, and then nothing? I mean I get it might have freaked her out with me getting arrested the next morning and all. But that was for a fucking good cause if you ask me.”
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did for Alyssa at the club when that asshole slapped her. Have you told Reilly that they arrested you because the jerk pressed charges?”
He shakes his head, pulling at his hair. “If I tell her, she will tell Alyssa, and I don’t want Alyssa to feel responsible or shit.”
“I get you not wanting to tell her, but if she asks me flat out, I can’t lie to her man,” I declare.
“I know, I don’t expect you to. What do you think all that’s about?” Bray asks, pointing at the squashed bunch of roses on the coffee table. I pick up the card laying next to it.
Dear Alyssa,
Condolences on your future loss.
xxx
“Fuck, I don’t know man, but I intend to find out. God help the fucker that thinks he can fuck with what’s mine.” I throw the card down, running my hands through my hair. “You should have seen her, she was so fucking scared I felt like a part of my soul was breaking as she clung to me.”
“Well, considering you let Reilly drive the fucking McLaren, I thought you must have lost your damn mind.”
Hearing footsteps come down the hall, I look up to see Ella. Her face, bruised and battered, makes me want to murder the fucker who hurt her again. Standing, I walk to her and wrap her in my arms, kissing her temple.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart? Do you need anything?”
Wrapping her arms around me, she looks up. “I’m good Zac, really, I just want to forget everything and get ready to leave for uni in a few months.”
“Don’t remind me you’re growing up, dammit.” I let her go and then her words repeat in my head, leave for Uni. “Wait, what the hell do you mean leave for Uni, I thought you chose to go to ACU here in Sydney?” I ask.
“I am, but I thought it would be good to live on campus, get the total experience,” she says with a hitch to her voice.
Bray and Dean both speak up. “No.”
Ella stomps her foot staring them down. “What do you mean, no? Don’t answer that because it’s not up to you two baboons, I can make my own damn decisions.”
“Ella honey, wouldn’t you be more comfortable living here, in your home, while you study?” I plead, I’m not ready for her to leave. I’ve been raising her since she was thirteen, even if I was only twenty at the time I had to step up and go from brother to guardian.
“Please Zac, I’ve thought about this a lot. I really, really want to live on campus. You can come check the place out, it’s an all-girls dorm, with high security and everything. I’ll come back on weekends and semester breaks, you won’t even notice I’m gone. Please don’t take this away from me.”
Dammit, she’s pleading with teary eyes, she knows I can’t say no to her when she looks at me like that.
“Don’t cave man. Don’t look at that angelic face and give in. You’re stronger than that bro,” Bray says.
I can’t do it. Pulling Ella back into my arms gently, I answer, “okay, I’ll check out the dorm building and you will come home every weekend and semester break. I know things are changing around here, but this is your home, Ella, you will always belong here.”
“Thank you Zac,” she whispers.
“Whipped,” Dean and Bray say.
The fuckers would not have been able to say no either, I’ve seen Ella work her magic on both of them before. I flip them off. “Shut the fuck up, if she wants the full experience, she will get it.”
“How’s Alyssa?” Ella changes the subject so well.
“She’ll be okay. Thank you for making her food. I know she appreciates it, I appreciate it.”
She looks up to me. “You know, she’s a lucky girl to have you. I hope I find a guy as great as you one day.”
“I’m the lucky one Ella, and there is no guy out there good enough for you. I pity any fool who thinks he is.”
Ella flinches in my arms and Dean gets up, mumbling something about things to do and leaves.
I raise my eyebrows at Bray and ask, “what the fuck is that about?”
He raises his shoulders up and down. “No idea man, but I gotta run also, you good?” he asks.
“Yeah, I’m not going to make it into the club tonight. Can you take over for me?” I ask, eliciting surprised looks from both Ella and Bray.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Bray says as he places his hand to my forehead.
I swipe his hand away. “I’m fine, I just can’t leave Alyssa tonight. It’s one-night Bray, I’m sure the club will survive.”
With that I walk back to my bedroom ready to kick three feisty females out of it.
Chapter Fifteen
Alyssa
“You really think they’re going to be able to pull it off?” I ask Sarah, pointing to the bathroom door where Holly and Reilly have just switched clothes with each other.
Reilly says she needs a quick escape from the building to avoid, in her words, all that is Bray. She wouldn’t elaborate on why she was avoiding him, just that it was for the greater good.
“It works on everyone but us, it will work. Not sure why she wants to avoid that piece of delicious cucumber though. I mean are they just breeding them tall, dark and handsome in this family? If so, please tell me there is another brother hiding somewhere.” Sarah looks hopefully towards me.
Laughing, I give her the bad news. “Nope, only two brothers, sorry you were too late to the party.”
We’re both laughing as the door opens and Zac strolls in, eyes locked straight to mine. The intense look in his eyes has both Sarah and I suddenly quiet, waiting in anticipation for his next move. He walks straight up to me, bending down he cups my face in both of his hands before bringing his lips to mine. I can’t help the moan that escapes my lips. Just as I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to get more of him, Holly and Reilly step out of the bathroom door, not so quietly.
Zac immediately sits up, looking behind him towards the bathroom. Squinting back and forth between the Reilly and Holly, he asks, “why have you switched clothes?”
I watch as both of their jaws drop. No one has ever been able to tell when they pretend to be each other. Sarah is gobsmacked, pointing at Zac as she questions, “wait, how the hell can you tell they switched? It took me three months of knowing them before I could tell when they did that.”
Zac shrugs his shoulders. “I’m observant. They also have very different mannerisms.”
Holly looks petrified. Pointing a finger at Reilly, she says, “it’s not going to work. Oh god, why did I let you talk me into this?”
Reilly grabs Holly’s hand tugging her towards the door. “It will work, it always works. Let’s just go.”
On her way out, Reilly says, “Lyssa, call me if you need anything.”
I nod my head and thank her.
Once Holly and Reilly are gone, Sarah looks between Zac and I. “Well, I know when I’m the third wheel. I’m out too. Will you be okay?”
I look over at Zac, he tenses holding my hand a little tighter. Nodding my head, I tell Sarah, “I’ll be fine here. I’ll head home a bit later when Zac goes to work.”
Zac then declares, “she’ll be staying here, I’ve taken the night off. I’ll be here all night.”
Sarah raises an eyebrow at me in question, I just shake my head. “I’ll be fine, thanks for coming. I will call you tomorrow.”
“Okay, but if there’s anything else—”
I cut her off before she can finish the sentence, “Sarah go, I’ll be fine.”
With a nod, she walks out the door. Before the door even closes, Zac has me wrapped up in his arms. This feels like the safest place on earth.
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“Mmm, I could get used to this,” I say as I snuggle into his chest further.
He chuckles. “I sure hope you do Sunshine, because there ain’t no way I’m letting go.”
Why does he always know what to say to reassure my racing thoughts? Breathing in his scent, I bury my nose closer and sniff. Yep all Zac, woodsy with a mix of citrus.
“You always smell so damn good GQ.”
I feel the vibration of his silent laugh, kissing the top of my forehead he says, “I’m sure you’d think otherwise if you got a wiff just after I did a gym workout.”
Of course he works out, how else would one get a body like this? “You really took the night off work. Can you do that? You know I can always just go home if you need to be there?” As much as I would hate to leave this spot right now, I also don’t want to be a nuisance to him.
“Sunshine, I own the place, I can do whatever the fuck I want. And you are staying put. We’re going to play a game.”
“A game, like a board game, cards?” I look up at him with questions. He shakes his head no.
“I was thinking a getting to know each other game. Let’s start with twenty questions, shall we?”
Oh, that actually sounds fun. I’m hungry for all things that are Zac, I can’t wait to know more about him.
That’s how we spend the night and the whole of the next day and night. In his bed, in his bathtub, in his kitchen. Getting to know each other, both inside and out.
Our game of twenty questions turned into twenty positions. I, for one, did not know I could contort my body in so many ways. Zac ended up taking another night off work to stay in with me. If it wasn’t for me insisting that I was in fact going into work and he should do the same, we would still be tangled up in each other in his bed.
It’s been two weeks since I received the roses. As much as he didn’t want to, Zac finally told me the cryptic message that was written on the card. Neither of us could figure out what it meant. I’ve tried hard to put it out of my mind, but the whole thing freaks me out. What future loss could I possibly be facing, and who would be planning this loss?
I have that feeling of being watched again and I don’t like it.
I was doing so much better, I am doing much better. I stopped looking over my shoulder a while ago; to be reduced back to the skittish scared woman I was two years ago is nerve wrecking. So far, I’ve held it together. I have Zac to thank for that. He has been there for me in ways I could never have imagined.
Whenever I needed to go into work, he would drive me then he would pick me up and take me back to his place. The one night I put my foot down and said I was sleeping in my own bedroom, he relented.
He then showed up on my doorstep at two a.m., begging me to let him stay with me. Because according to Zac, he wouldn’t get a wink of sleep if I wasn’t beside him. I had to admit, I was tossing and turning in my bed alone until he turned up. Once I had his arms wrapped around me, I slept like a log.
I can’t think of anything better than climbing into bed and sleeping for a solid ten hours. I’ve just finished a twelve-hour shift and am waiting out the front of the hospital for Zac. It’s the first time that he hasn’t been there before I walk out. I pull my phone out of my bag and double check that I haven’t had any missed calls from him.
Just as I unlock my phone, I hear his car pull in. A huge grin plastered to my face, I start toward the car, only for my smile and steps to falter when it’s Bray that steps out of the driver’s side and walks around to the passenger door. Immediately, I think of all the worst case scenarios; Zac was in an accident. He was hurt. Where the hell was he? I needed to get to him.
“What’s wrong, where is he?” My voice comes out panicky as I try to slow my racing heart. Bray squints his eyes at me before coming up and wrapping an arm around me.
“He’s fine Lyssa, just stuck at the club. I am under strict orders to deliver you to him, without a scratch or hair of this pretty little head out of place. His words, not mine.” He opens the door and does a sweeping motion with his arm. “Your chariot awaits.”
“He’s ok, really?” I ask, still not moving.
“Yes, you can call him if you want. I’m sure no matter how busy he is, he will always answer your call.”
Shaking my head, I hop into the car. “No it’s fine, I just, I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry.”
Bray shuts my door and walks around to the driver’s side. Looking over at me, he says, “Lyssa, you don’t need to apologise to me for being worried about my brother, its endearing really. I’m glad he has you. Just wish I had seen you first.”
I laugh. Bray has that effect on people, always able to get a laugh. “No you don’t,” I tell him.
Starting the car, he pulls away from the hospital. “You’re right, I just wish every woman was as willing to own their damn feelings like you do.”
I suspect his referring to Reilly. I know he likes her and has been trying to get her to agree to a date. Reilly however is not having it, which means she likes him a lot more than she’s letting on. I’ haven’t managed to get Bray to talk about her with me though. Anytime I try to bring it up, he changes the topic.
“Anyone I know?” I pry.
“Yep,” he says, looking out at the road.
“Care to share who she is?”
“Nope.”
“Want to talk about it?” I give it one last try before I drop it.
Bray shakes his head and says, “nope.”
Well okay then, subject dropped. I spend the rest of the trip zoned out and eager to see Zac. I know I only worked twelve hours, but twelve hours is a long damn time without his arms around me. We get to the club at one thirty am, it’s a Friday night so I’m assuming it will be crowded.
“Is it busy in there?” I ask Bray as he opens my door, a little nervous of having to walk through the crowd and walking through a nightclub in my damn scrubs.
“A little, but don’t stress sweetheart, your walking through with me. You’re about to make every woman in there wish they could be you.” He winks.
I raise my hand to knock on Zac’s office door. Bray laughs, grabbing my hand away from the door before he opens the door and letting us in.
“You don’t need to bloody knock, Lyssa,” he laughs.
I swat him in the arm. “Well, it’s polite to knock on a closed door,” I say, defending my actions.
Bray rubs his arm like my swat actually hurt him. “Ouch, I thought we were friends sweetheart, you know I need to fight with this arm. In about thirty minutes, actually. I might have to forfeit the fight now,” he pouts at me.
I’m about to respond when I hear that deep rumbly voice wash over me. “Are you done being a moron?” Zac asks Bray as he walks up to me, engulfing me in his arms before planting his lips against mine. I vaguely notice Bray say something before I hear the door close.
Zac breaks the kiss. “Hi, sunshine.”
“Hi,” I respond breathlessly. But that’s what he does to me. He literally takes my breath away with each kiss.
Zac leads me over to the couch. Sitting down, he pulls me onto his lap so I’m straddling him. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t pick you up baby, I had issues to sort out with tonight’s fight.”
I’m lost in the feel of his hands rubbing up and down my thighs, damn that feels good.
“It’s okay, I understand you are not my personal Uber. You really don’t need to send Bray to get me either, I can get an actual Uber home if you’re busy.”
The look I’ve come to learn as Zac’s don’t argue with me look crosses his face. “You are not getting a fucking Uber Lyssa. If I can’t personally pick you up, I will send Bray or Dean to get you.” He must realise that his tone is harsh as he quickly follows up with, “sorry sunshine, just please let me have this. I need to know that you have a safe way of getting back to me.”
“Okay, but you need to tell me why you are so against public transportation, Zac.”
Every time I’ve broache
d the topic, he has either distracted me with sex or very effectively changed the subject. Looking off in the distance for a while, his body tense, I think that he’s not going to answer. And then he looks me in the eye, I can see emotions reflected in his gaze.
“My parents were killed at a train station waiting for a train. It was a mugging gone wrong. Some bastard tried to do a run and grab of my mother’s purse. She ended up tripping and falling onto the track. My father climbed down to help her get back up, but it was too late. The train couldn’t stop in time.” His voice cracks at the end.
“Oh, my god, Zac, I’m so sorry.” I pull him tightly into my arms.
“I was twenty, I had to all of a sudden grieve the loss of both my parents take on the custodial role of a thirteen and seventeen-year-old. But I sure as fuck was not letting my siblings end up in care.” He winces. “Sorry, sunshine.”
Why is he apologising to me? “No, I’m sorry that you had to endure that. But I’m also proud of how you overcame such adversities and become the man you are today. One I’m proud I get to call mine.”
Leaning in, I gently kiss his lips. My heart is breaking for this beautiful man who has had to endure so much pain and take on so much responsibility at such a young age.
Knowing it took a lot for him to share that with me, “thank you for sharing that with me.”
We haven’t exchanged the L word with each other yet, but I know I feel it, it’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him just how much I think I love him. Fearing what his reaction would be to me saying those words, I change the subject instead.
“Who is Bray fighting tonight? Can we watch? I haven’t even seen inside this bat cave you guys keep locked up tight.”
Zac groans, “why would you want to see that? I mean I have to make an appearance now and then. This is the last fight before we break for the holidays. But you don’t need to be there, sunshine. It’s dirty down there, and the cage, well it can get really rough. There are times I even have to look away when Bray is in there.”
Leaning in, I let my lips swipe across his before pulling back. “Well, if you’re going to be there tonight, then I’ll just tag along behind you. You won’t even notice I’m there. I promise not to get in your way while you’re doing your thing. Please Zac, please let me come and watch.”